Since the 1960s, the major milestones our country has achieved are incredible.

We elected an African-American president, women’s issues have made tremendous progress, and gays and lesbians can marry.

But cannabis is still illegal…? Not for long!

As the tsunami of hard empirical positive medical cannabis research builds, it meets the inevitable changing younger demographics of our country, and with the need for new cannabis- based jobs and new tax revenue.

The cannabis legalization tipping point is close at hand!

“Cannabis is the people’s medicine” and has overwhelming public support.

The female cannabis plant is a THC-resin factory. THC, which makes up the plant’s resin, has the important job of collecting pollen from the male plant for fertilization. No THC-laced resin, no seed production. Additionally, this resin tastes very bad to herbivores, which leave it alone, and it also offers superior UV protection to the plant at high altitudes.

A cannabis sativa flower is coated with trichomes, which contain more THC than any other part of the plant.

All other THC-like substances in the plant are THC intermediate metabolites being assembled by the plant on their way to becoming THC.

Once the plant is cut down and dies, the THC degrades into cannabinol. Cannabinol (CBN) is the primary product of THC degradation, and there is usually little of it in a fresh plant. CBN content increases as THC degrades in storage, and with exposure to light and air, and it is only mildly psychoactive.

Why would just this one plant, and the phytocannabinoids it produces control not one, but two dedicated molecular receptors for phytocannabinoids, with more predicted to still be discovered?

Did evolution intend for them to be naturally consumed for proper body function? As any other plant-derived antioxidant?

How THC Talks to the Brain and Immune System

​All healing, cancer fighting and aging in your body is controlled by the immune system.

Phytocannabinoids appear to control the activity level of the immune system up or down, so that it doesn’t attack its host or respond too weakly to cellular dysfunction. Whenever you hear the term “anti-inflammatory activity,” think “cannabis immune system control.”

CB1 cannabigenic receptors are the majority of receptor type in the synaptic clef. THC-activated CB1 brain receptors directly link up and control the microglial cells in the brain; the microglia is the specialized white blood cells that make up the brain’s dedicated immune system.

Cannabidiol is degraded THC. It activates CB2 receptors mostly in the body. In both cases, THC controls both immune systems (brain and body), in one form or another. It seems that CB1 brain receptors link up to CB2 body receptors, which in turn control many autoimmune diseases.

“This review updates the relationship between the endocannabinoid system and anti-tumor actions (inhibition of cell proliferation and migration, induction of apoptosis, reduction of tumor growth) of the cannabinoids in different types of cancer.”

“The therapeutic potential of cannabinoids for cancer, as identified in clinical trials, is also discussed. Identification of safe and effective treatments to manage and improve cancer therapy is critical to improve quality of life and reduce unnecessary suffering in cancer patients.”

“In this regard, cannabis-like, compounds offer therapeutic potential for the treatment of breast, prostate and bone cancer in patients. Further basic research on anti-cancer properties of cannabinoids as well as clinical trials of cannabinoid therapeutic efficacy in breast, prostate and bone cancer is therefore warranted.”

“The available literature suggests that the endocannabinoid system may be targeted to suppress the evolution and progression of breast, prostate and bone cancer as well as the accompanying pain syndromes. Although this review focuses on these three types of cancer, activation of the endocannabinoid signaling system produces anti-cancer effects in other types of cancer including skin, brain gliomas and lung.”

“Interestingly, cannabis trials in population based studies failed to show any evidence for increased risk of respiratory symptoms/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or lung cancer (Tashkin, 2005) associated with smoking cannabis.”

“Moreover, synthetic cannabinoids (Delta 9 THC) and the endocannabinoid system play a role in inhibiting cancer cell proliferation and angiogenesis, reducing tumor growth and metastases and inducing apoptosis ( self destruction for cancer cells) in all three types of cancers reviewed here.

“These observations raise the possibility that a dysregulation of the endocannabinoid system may promote cancer, by fostering physiological conditions that allow cancer cells to proliferate, migrate and grow.”

IMPORTANT: This is a very intriguing observation. What is being implied here is that some people may be suffering from an anandamide deficiency! Just as a diabetic is insulin deficiencient and must supplement their body with insulin, in this case THC is the vital medicine needed to replace low levels of anandamide.

These observations also raise the exciting possibility that enhancing cannabinoid tone (code for THC locking into the CB1 receptor) through cannabinoid based pharmacotherapies may attenuate these harmful processes to produce anti-cancer effects in humans.

“Recent studies have shown that the endocannabinoid system (ECS) could offer an attractive antitumor target. Numerous findings suggest the involvement of this system (constituted mainly by cannabinoid receptors, endogenous compounds and the enzymes for their synthesis and degradation) in cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo.”

“This review covers literature from the past decade which highlights the potential of targeting the ECS for cancer treatment. In particular, the levels of endocannabinoids and the expression of their receptors in several types of cancer are discussed, along with the signaling pathways involved in the endocannabinoid antitumor effects.”

“Furthermore, targeting the ECS with agents that activate cannabinoid receptors (This means THC) or inhibitors of endogenous degrading systems such as fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitors may have relevant therapeutic impact on tumor growth. Additional studies into the downstream consequences of endocannabinoid treatment are required and may illuminate other potential therapeutic targets.”

#3: “Cannabinoids and the Gut: New Developments and Emerging Concepts”

“Disorders of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract have been treated with herbal and plant-based remedies for centuries. Prominent amongst these therapeutics are preparations derived from the marijuana plant Cannabis. Cannabis has been used to treat a variety of GI conditions that range from enteric infections and inflammatory conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to disorders of motility, emesis and abdominal pain.”

“Cannabis has been used to treat gastrointestinal (GI) conditions that range from enteric infections and inflammatory conditions to disorders of motility, emesis and abdominal pain.”

“The mechanistic basis of these treatments emerged after the discovery of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol as the major constituent of Cannabis. Further progress was made when the receptors for Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol were identified as part of an endocannabinoid system, that consists of specific cannabinoid receptors.”

Sites of action of cannabinoids in the enteric nervous system. CB2 receptors indicated with the marijuana leaf.

“Anatomical, physiological and pharmacological studies have shown that the endocannabinoid system is widely distributed throughout the gut, with regional variation and organ-specific actions.” (CB2 receptors are embedded within the lining of the intestines in large numbers.)

How THC/cannabidiol activates the CB1/2 receptors to shut down colon cancer by signaling cancer cells to self-destruct

​”Preclinical models have shown that modifying the endocannabinoid system can have beneficial effects…. Pharmacological agents that act on these targets have been shown in preclinical models to have therapeutic potential.” [THC is the Pharmacological agent mentioned.]

Schematic illustration of the functional roles of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in the gastrointestinal tract. The ECS regulates four major functional elements in the gut: motility, secretion, inflammation, and sensation in health and disease. Major components of the ECS that have been defined in each of these functional roles are shown: CB1 and CB2 receptors, anandamide (AEA), fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), and the endocannabinoid membrane transporter (EMT). For motility, the CB2 receptors only appear to be active under pathophysiological conditions and are shown italicized.[CMR Journal]

​Findings: Stemming from the centuries-old and well known effects of Cannabis on intestinal motility and secretion, research on the role of the endocannabinoid system in gut function and dysfunction has received ever increasing attention since the discovery of the cannabinoid receptors and their endogenous ligands, the endocannabinoids.

In this article, some of the most recent developments in this field are discussed, with particular emphasis on new data, most of which are published in Neurogastroenterology & Motility, on the potential tonic endocannabinoid control of intestinal motility, the function of cannabinoid type-1 (CB1) receptors in gastric function, visceral pain, inflammation and sepsis, the emerging role of cannabinoid type-2 (CB2) receptors in the gut, and the pharmacology of endocannabinoid-related molecules and plant cannabinoids not necessarily acting via cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptors.

These novel data highlight the multi-faceted aspects of endocannabinoid function in the GI tract, support the feasibility of the future therapeutic exploitation of this signaling system for the treatment of GI disorders, and leave space for some intriguing new hypotheses on the role of endocannabinoids in the gut.

#5: Cannabinoids and the Skeleton: From Marijuana to Reversal of Bone Loss”

The active component of marijuana, Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol, activates the CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors, thus mimicking the action of endogenous cannabinoids.

CB1 is predominantly neuronal and mediates the cannabinoid psychotropic effects. CB2 is predominantly expressed in peripheral tissues, mainly in pathological conditions. So far the main endocannabinoids, anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol, have been found in bone at ‘brain’ levels.

Because low bone mass is the only spontaneous phenotype so far reported in CB2 mutant mice, it appears that the main physiologic involvement of CB2 is associated with maintaining bone remodeling at balance, thus protecting the skeleton against age-related bone loss.

Taken together, the reports on cannabinoid receptors in mice and humans pave the way for the development of 1) diagnostic measures to identify osteoporosis-susceptible polymorphisms in CNR2, and 2) cannabinoid drugs to combat osteoporosis.

This article discusses how anandamide increases in the brain after injury, so THC may have the potential to become a front line emergency medicine in the future.

“There is a large body of evidence showing that eCB are markedly increased in response to pathogenic traumatic head injury events.”

“This fact, as well as numerous studies on experimental models of brain toxicity, neuroinflammation and trauma supports the notion that the eCB are part of the brain’s compensatory or repair mechanisms.”

These are mediated via CB receptors signalling pathways that are linked to neuronal survival and repair. The levels of 2-AG, the most highly abundant eCB, are significantly elevated after TBI and when administered to TBI mice, 2-AG decreases brain edema, inflammation and infarct volume and improves clinical recovery.( So would THC.)

This review is focused on the role the eCB system plays as a self-neuroprotective mechanism and its potential as a basis for the development of novel therapeutic modality for the treatment of CNS pathologies with special emphasis on TBI.

​Findings: Cannabidiol (CBD) is a phytocannabinoid, with anti-apoptotic, (the process of programmed cell death) anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects and has recently been shown to exert a tissue sparing effect during chronic myocardial ischaemia and reperfusion (I/R).

Not only is CBD cardioprotective — it is also an anti-epileptic, sedative, anxiolytic, antipsychotic, antioxidant, neuroprotectant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-emetic, and anti-tumorant.[Cannabis N.I.]

However, it is not known whether CBD is cardioprotective in the acute phase of I/R injury and the present studies tested this hypothesis.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Male Sprague-Dawley rats received either vehicle or CBD (10 or 50 microg kg(-1) i.v.) 10 min before 30 min coronary artery occlusion or CBD (50 microg kg(-1) i.v.) 10 min before reperfusion (2 h). The appearance of ventricular arrhythmias during the ischaemic and immediate post-reperfusion periods were recorded and the hearts excised for infarct size determination and assessment of mast cell degranulation. Arterial blood was withdrawn at the end of the reperfusion period to assess platelet aggregation in response to collagen.

KEY RESULTS: “CBD reduced both the total number of ischaemia-induced arrhythmias and infarct size when administered prior to ischaemia, an effect that was dose-dependent. Infarct size was also reduced when CBD was given prior to reperfusion. CBD (50 microg kg(-1) i.v.) given prior to ischaemia, but not at reperfusion, attenuated collagen-induced platelet aggregation compared with control, but had no effect on ischaemia-induced mast cell degranulation.”

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: “This study demonstrates that CBD is cardioprotective in the acute phase of I/R by both reducing ventricular arrhythmias and attenuating infarct size. The anti-arrhythmic effect, but not the tissue sparing effect, may be mediated through an inhibitory effect on platelet activation.”

Editor’s note: Ron Marczyk is a retired high school health eduation teacher who taught Wellness and Disease Prevention, Drug and Sex Ed, and AIDS education to teens aged 13-17.

He also taught a high school International Baccalaureate psychology course. He taught in a New York City public school as a Drug Prevention Specialist.

He is a Registered Nurse with six years of ER/Critical Care experience in NYC hospitals, earned an M.S. in cardiac rehabilitation and exercise physiology, and worked as a New York City police officer for two years.

Currently he is focused on how evolutionary psychology explains human behavior.

To see all of Ron Marczyk’s “Worth Repeating” articles for Toke Signals, click here.

Every day more and more positive things are coming out about the medicinal NEED for marijuana; yet it remains illegal for PURELY POLITICAL REASONS!!!!!! This is absolutely ludicrous!! Any politician who impedes the legalization of medicinal marijuana should be ousted from the position he or she was elected; for it is obvious they are working their own agenda (possibly with money from big pharma) and not truly representing the public that got them in the office they hold..

Michael
on June 11, 2014 at 2:12 pm

its not hard to drive high noones going to start dying from smoking weed to drive i live in ms and everyone you could meet down here smokes they love it and noone ever crashes high they only crash when they get high on spic(spice which is an alternative to weed) or drunk other than that there are no crashes. unless there accidents but thats when there not high

Weedman420
on June 11, 2014 at 2:10 pm

A nigga aint never ODd on THC the nigga might pass out but he aint dead hes gonna wake up 30 minutes from now hungry enough to eat everything in your house

Luke R. Shultz
on January 21, 2014 at 4:40 am

“No THC-laced resin, no seed production.” How does a cannabis/hemp plant that contains little to no THC “attract” pollen and produce seeds?

USAMMJ
on October 4, 2013 at 2:10 pm

How do you test for other drugs like oxy? Why should MMJ be treated any different?

All the research has links, Crystal. All you have to do is click on them.

Joey Horbachewsky
on August 14, 2013 at 10:18 am

You will find links (don’t know how good they are) under each heading (?),

Crystal Haywood
on August 13, 2013 at 8:58 am

I wish there were links to the research that was done so I can verify its validity better. Still, a very interesting read & I have always supported the legalization of this plant 100%!!!

Dee
on August 12, 2013 at 4:57 pm

they smell it can can tell by your eyes and maybe also your laughing ..it does the body..don’t smoke and drive or eat it:) do this at home..for the safety of others:)

Dee
on August 12, 2013 at 4:55 pm

ty for all this true info..some day all people will trust in this..some day SOON I pray..I knew since i was 12 now am 58 smoking and eating it all day and night..MM is my life line:)

Sum Guy
on August 10, 2013 at 1:45 pm

There are mouth swab tests that could and probrobly are being developed. But I believe a field sobriety test would be just as affective.

Tielman
on August 10, 2013 at 1:03 pm

Sunday night Sajay Gupta !

Dulcia Burkhart
on August 10, 2013 at 11:19 am

Yes, I agree about legalizing marijuana. It is not a man made plant. For the people that love god should agree too because in the bible it says use every plant that bears seeds to the fullest extent. And also, its good for medical reasons. And for the people that are worried about people wrecking under the influence of marijuana need to look at alcohol. At least with marijuana, people can actually remember what goes on, with alcohol, its deadly bc you can drink to much and die from alcohol poisoning. No one has ever overdosed on THC.

E-Machine
on August 10, 2013 at 11:07 am

Well, I think that is a legitimate concern however studies show that drivers under the influence of cannabis don’t show the same threats as those under the influence of other things such as alcohol or other “hard” drugs. http://norml.org/library/item/marijuana-and-driving-a-review-of-the-scientific-evidence 7 separate studies with almost 8,000 test subjects and the results all came back the same, drivers under the influence of cannabis showed little to no more risk of being in an accident than the average sober driver. If you want to identify the people on the road that are under the influence, stick clear of the people going 5-10 mph under the speed limit with a big grin. http://deoxy.org/pdfa/marijuana.htm You should be just as concerned with new drivers, or for that matter foreign drivers learning a new system.

chad
on August 10, 2013 at 10:40 am

Don’t kid youself. 30% of Americans use marijuana now. You don’t think that there are some who drive under the influence? How many times do you hear of someone causing an accident because they were using weed. I have heard of one and the guy was drunk too. I’m not saying that it couldn’t turn into a serious issue, but I don’t think it would ever come close to alcohol. Just my two cents. Peace.

jon rykert
on August 10, 2013 at 10:35 am

If there where any deaths by kno caused by pot smoking they ( the government) would be all over it. Just like if pot would kill like alcohol or legal drugs we wouldn’t hear the end of it.

Trav Kidd
on August 10, 2013 at 10:01 am

Priscilla, I don’t agree with driving under the influence of anything. The problem is, any impairment (which would still be far short of the type of impairment you would have with alcohol) is difficult to ascertain for cannabis as the effects generally only last about fifteen to twenty minutes, and that’s on the long end. Alcohol impairment can last for hours. There is no ‘breathalyzer’ for cannabis.

Priscilla Gagnon
on August 10, 2013 at 9:40 am

I think your studies are very convincing, however my only concern – and I don’t know if it’s been dealt with yet – is how to identify people under the influence of smoking cannabis, if they are driving. There has to be an easy way to identify this quickly if a person is driving erratically and passes a breathalyzer. All the convincing studies in the world about the health benefits of cannabis won’t mean anything if people start to die from drivers under the influence IMHO.

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